528 



ULEAM.NGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Ate lo 



FIG. o. — THE STR A.1NING-VAT WHERE THE REFUSE IS RIBBED AND HOED TO SEPARATE 



OUT THE WAX. 

 Plenty of hot water is dipped on to the refuse, and the rubbing and mixing continued until the wax is 

 practically all out. 



ter; but when the slumgum is ground this 

 way the wax will rise and the propolis and 

 dirt will be in the water and on the under 

 side of the cakes of wax. There is one thing 

 with this method that is detrimental; and 

 that is, there is always some propolis in the 

 wax; but this is just as true of any press- 

 rendered wax I ever saw. 



We have this whole wax-plant outdoors 

 where there is no danger of fire, and we have 

 plenty of room for work. We do this work 

 on cloudy and cool days when there are no 

 bees to bother. 



THE COST OF THE MATERIAL. 



If the brickwork is done by a bricklayer 

 this will cost about $3.00; but one can easily 

 lay the wall up himself; and by using brick- 

 bats the cost for mortar and bats will not be 

 over 75 cents. Where stone is plentiful it 

 will do just as well as brick, and will not be 

 afi'ected by the fire so quickly. The two- 

 inch plank, ten inches wide, for the sides of 

 the melting-tank, cost $1.00, cut to size at 

 the planing-mill. The material used was 

 pine. The galvanized-iron bottom for both 

 tanks cost 50 cents. A good heavy quality 

 of iron is best to make the tanks last a long 

 time. 



The wood for the small vat does not cost 

 over 50 cents. We used an old washing-ma- 

 chine, so did not need to buy this; and we 

 had the galvanized iron left. The heavy 

 iron sieve cost 75 cents, or about 7 cents a 

 square foot, the mesh running six to the 

 inch, or about that. The w^re used is some- 

 what smaller than baling wire, but is strong 

 enough so there is no danger of mashing 

 through by pressing down all one's weight. 



Speaking of the economy of this wax-work- 

 ing apparatus reminds me of what an agri- 

 cultural-college expert on poultry said — 

 many people build a ?25.00 chicken-house 

 for a dozen hens, and would pay 15 cents for 

 a watering-jar when a tin can would do just 

 as well. 



Much of this applies to bee-keepers. We 

 can utilizeourold washing-machines, brick- 

 bats, etc., where it is hardly profitable to 

 make a large outlay for a wax-working plant 

 that is not used much of the year. If the 

 brickbats are used, the appearance can be 

 improved by covering over with a coat of 

 mortar or cement plaster. 



We have had so many narrow escapes 

 from fire caused by wax boiling over that 

 hereafter we will do all of this work outdoors. 



Boulder, Col. 



[If plenty of hot water is dipped at inter- 

 vals on to the refuse, and the whole mass 

 repeatedly rubbed into the screen, we see no 

 reason why thorough work could not be 

 done. — E;d.] 



SELLING HONEY TO THE RETAIL TRADE. 



Refusing to Accept a Low Price is the Secret of 

 Success. 



BY C. B. SNAVELY. 



The retail market attracts the small hon- 

 ey-producers or the one who starts in a small 

 way, and increases his stock as his finances, 

 experiences, or demands for his product in- 

 crease. This is naturally so because he has 

 not always enough honey to warrant a shiji- 

 ment to the commission houses. The above 

 explains our i)osition, and we have succeed- 

 ed so well that now with a stock large enough 

 to sell to the grocer or ship to the commis- 

 sion men we still cater entirely to the retail 

 trade. 



There are numerous ways of obtaining the 

 trade which uses honey habitually. Our 

 methods have been entirely successful in 

 our locality, and we can think of no reason 

 why they would not be appliable to any lo- 

 cality. The honey-consumer is what the 

 marketman calls "fancy" trade, and this 



